Internal combustion engines, be they gasoline, diesel, natural gas, or other, require means to accurately control the amount of and the timing of injection of fuel/air mixtures and then the exhaust of the products of combustion during their operating cycles. Heretofore this has most commonly been done by more or less disc-shaped circular valves with stems that are individually opened at the required times with their operating force requirements supplied by cams or the like. This makes for a rather complex and expensive apparatus that adds much to the cost of basic engine. Newer design engines can have four valves per cylinder that translates to 32 complex valve systems for an eight-cylinder engine. Additionally, especially in the case of cam operated valves, there can be a condition referred to as "valve float" at high engine rotational speeds which places upper rotational speed limits on such engines.
There are also simple two cycle internal combustion engines that operate without valves. These valveless two cycle engines require a mixture of oil and gasoline for proper lubrication of bearings, piston rings and the like. Examples of such two cycle engines can be found today mainly in small engines used in lawn maintenance equipment and outboard motors. However, such two cycle engines generally will not pass current environmental requirements for emissions and are inherently inefficient. There are also internal combustion engines that use fuel injectors. While efficient, fuel injected engines have noticeably higher initial and maintenance costs.
The instant invention presents a far simpler and less expensive valve system concept than conceived heretofore. In the preferred embodiment, it employs a rotating element generally circular-shaped member, referred to herein as a cyclo-valve, that has ports or passageways that pierce it and/or operate around its periphery. Rotation of the cyclo-valve alternatively aligns a port with a cylinder of the parent engine. The cyclo-valve rotational speed is in time with engine rotational speed so that the cyclo-valve's ports are properly aligned for intake or exhaust of gases as required. Power requirements as well as complexity of the instant invention are both much less than that of present state-of-the-art engine cam or hydraulic driven valve lifter systems. This is because the instant invention's cyclo-valve design requires only low energy consumption rotational motion. The result of the instant invention is a more efficient and less costly engine that cannot encounter "valve float" at high engine rotational speeds. The result of being able to turn at higher engine rotational speeds is that smaller, lighter, and more efficient engines can be developed. A further embellishment to reduce initial and maintenance costs comes in the form of low cost non-wearing labyrinth gas seals that are offered in the preferred embodiment of the instant invention.